District Champs review

Sunday 14th May 2017

Rachel Hunter wins gold at Kilmarnock (photo by Bobby Gavin)

Photos from all three venues are on our Facebook page with a big thank-you to Bobby Gavin (West), Steve Adam (East) and Phil Downie (North) for making these pictures available to scottishathletics. It is much appreciated. We plan to work through displaying these over Sunday/Monday/Tuesday. 

WEST RESULTS

Hammer thrower Rachel Hunter came up with the best performance at the West District Champs as she threw a Championship best 63.67m.

That was a strong effort against the wind at the Ayrshire Athletics Arena, a circle which Rachel knows very well from a number of years of training and competition.

A shoulder injury had threatened her participation, and her selection for Scotland for the Loughborough International, but the North Ayrshire AC athlete declared herself fit.

‘It was good to get that throw in and I’m pretty pleased with the distance under the circumstances,’ said Rachel, who works as a nurse and placed seventh at the Glasgow 2014 final at Hampden.

‘I hurt my shoulder at work but it felt okay and now I am ready to throw for Scotland at Loughborough again. It is one of my favourite circles and my best PBs have come there. It is shaping up like a good comp and hopefully that will bring the best out in me.’

Friday night conditions, although cold, were better than Saturday at Kilmarnock but once more athletes, coaches and clubs made the best of it. Likewise, as always, the scottishathletics Officials proved their commitment to sport rain, hail or shine.

VP-Glasgow athlete, Chloe Lambert, completed a sprint hat-trick, winning the 100m, 200m and 400m, with 54.94 in the one-lap race.

There were some issues with the online Results on Friday and we offer our apologies to those affected. Any medals not presented on the night will be forwarded to the athlete concerned.

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Photo by Steve Adam 

EAST RESULTS

Cameron Tindle won the 200m gold at Grangemouth in the East Districts on Friday night as a number of those ahtletes headed for Loughborough this weekend took the chance to prepare.

Aidan Thompson of Central AC and Annabel Simpson of Fife AC, medal winners the previous week over 5000m, took the Senior 1500m East titles. Aidan also won the 3000m steeplechase.

Grant Plenderleith had lost out Tindle by two hundredths of a second in the 200m and the Falkirk Vics athlete added to that silver with a gold in the 100m with 10.71.

There was a long jump silver for Allan Hamilton, who will represent Scotland at the Loughborough international on Sunday, against his Edinburgh Uni’s Che Richards, while Cameron Steven took the men’s 800m gold. Pitreavie’s Dylan Thomson came up with an U20 pole vault championship best performance of 4.30m.

But the best performance of the Champs came in the U15 age group as Edinburgh AC athlete, Ellie O’Hara, came up with a Scottish U15 Record in the Triple Jump (subject to ratification). Ellie leapt to 10.57 (+1.8) to set a new mark after fine indoor performances earlier this year.

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Photo by Phil Downie

NORTH RESULTS

Anna MacFadyen has been ringing the changes since representing Great Britain in the World Cross in Uganda in March, most recently at the North Districts, where she won the U20 5000m title, lapping the entire field of senior runners in the process.

It was a solo run right from the start for the 17-year-old Forres Harrier who has been enjoying some variety since her African outing, also including a local trail race, the Scottish 5K road championship and a parkrun.

‘I enjoyed that today although it was difficult on my own,’ said Anna. ‘I also have a hill race coming up and it’s been good to do different things for a change.’

World Juniors finalist George Evans from Inverness made his 2kg discus debut and, although still an U20, set a new senior championship record of 50.43m with his very first throw. Inverness Harrier Eleanor Briggs had a sparkling senior sprint double, winning the 400m in 55.42 sec and then the 100m with a 12.34 championship record.

Two junior off-track internationalists traded blows in combined U17 and U20 women’s distance races. In the 1500m, Constance Nankivell (East Sutherland) pegged back a 20m deficit to overhaul fast-starting Grace Whelan (Moray Roadrunners) and take the U20 title in 4:46.68 while the Moray runner won the U17 in 4:49.72.

Whelan again took the initiative in the 800m but this time held on for a time of 2:17.67, two seconds clear of her East Sutherland rival.

Athletes from the Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland were also present in numbers, making frequent podium visits.

With thanks to Charles Bannerman

 

Tags: East District, Grangemouth, Inverness, Kilmarnock, North District, west district